Nechirvan Barzani: Baghdad is our “strategic depth” and our problems should be resolved there.
On Tuesday, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani expressed optimism about the possibility of resolving the outstanding disputes and issues between Erbil and Baghdad, while revealing the reason for his failure to meet with Iraqi President Nizar Amidi during his visit to Baghdad.
This came in a press conference he held after meeting with the head of the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council, Faiq Zaidan, in the capital, Baghdad.
President Nechirvan Barzani said during the press conference, which was attended by a correspondent from Shafaq News Agency, “In truth, there is a problem between the two main parties in the Kurdistan Region (the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) that prevented the President of the Republic from meeting,” stressing that “we Kurds must find a framework to solve the problems between us, and this is what we are working on in the political council formed by the Presidency of the Region.”
He added, “We have the utmost respect and full appreciation for the President of the Republic, who is one of our Kurds, and we may not visit him during this tour, but in the future there will be a meeting between us after the existing problem between the two parties is resolved.”
Regarding addressing the disputes between Erbil and Baghdad, the President of the Kurdistan Region said, “We have seen a broad response from the Iraqi political parties in this regard. As a result, we live in Iraq, and all our problems should be resolved in Baghdad.” He added, “Baghdad is our capital, and it is our strategic depth. What we were unable to resolve in previous disputes must now be resolved here.”
For its part, the Presidency of the Region announced in a statement that President Nechirvan Barzani discussed during his meeting with Judge Zaidan the political and general situation in the country, where both sides stressed that the independence of the judiciary is a fundamental pillar for preserving the powers and institutions of the country, stability, and the constitutional rights and entitlements of all.
President Nechirvan Barzani highly valued the role of the head of the judiciary in preserving political stability and the country’s higher and national interests, and thanked him for his important role in resolving problems and creating understanding between the parties.
Both sides stressed the importance of the rule of law and working within the framework of the constitution as the only way to solve the country’s problems and preserve the legal rights and entitlements of all components and the federal and constitutional entity of the Kurdistan Region.
The meeting also focused on continuing and strengthening cooperation and coordination between federal judicial bodies and institutions and those in the Kurdistan Region, according to the statement.
Shafaq.com